March 30
To Delegate or Not to Delegate?
The percentage of people never having enough time to do all they need to do continues to rise. J Walker Smith provided some statistics on these percentages, in 2001, it was 73%; in 2002, it was 75%; in 2003, 76%; and in 2004, 77%. We see the pattern. What do you think the percentage is now? There is a way to add more hours to your day. Currently we manage our time by multi-tasking almost every aspect of our lives. Technology advances try to help us keep up. Still there is only so much a human being can do in a day. Delegation seems to be another answer to adding more time in the day. Small business owners that use technology and delegation of certain tasks have found a way to accomplish more in their day.
Delegating to the right person (or people) makes all the difference and provides an extension of one’s self. As a small business owner imagine being two-person strong. Delegation also adds a savings to a business’s bottom line. By locally outsourcing the tasks that need to be delegated offers businesses benefits beyond additional time in the day. For instance, on average entrepreneurs spend 20 percent of their day on administrative tasks. Those administrative tasks are weeding through and filing emails, updating calendars with emailed for telephoned appointments, making travel arrangements, preparing expense reports, social media marketing campaigns, email campaigns, and other time consuming business responsibilities. That 20 (or more) percent should be spent on doing what the entrepreneur does best – their specialty.
Delegation is critical for businesses to survive in this competitive world. Entrepreneurs should take advantage of the skills provided my administrative experts. Here are a few delegating steps to get you started:
1. Create a list of uncompleted tasks/projects. Group this list into priorities and completion dates.
2. Assess what skills are necessary to assist with task/project completion.
3. Determine who the task/project will be delegated to. Be sure to delegate the task/project to someone with the expertise to get it done right.
4. Communicate clearly orally and verbally on what you want done. Be sure to give details.
5. Provide feedback on a job well done.
These few steps should get you going. If you are not sure what to delegate then contact a local administrative support company to help. Delegation is a win win opportunity for both parties. The entrepreneur wins by having eased work pressure, and increased time for primary responsibilities. The person to whom the task was delegated benefits by being challenged, motivated, interested, and increased opportunity to professionally grow and develop the relationship further. Remember that communication between both parties is the key to effective delegation.
del.icio.us Tags: Delegate Delegation time management
3:33 PM GMT | Read comments(0)
March 24
Executive Assistant to Virtual Assistant: How May We Help You?
Executive Virtual Assistants offer executives so much more than an in-house administrative assistant. We have been there and done that more times than we can count. We love working with CEOs. As a matter of fact, CEOs with unique personalities are our specialty. Entrepreneurial Virtual Assistants understand the demands of the C-level executives ever more so.
Can an Executive Assistant really transform into entrepreneurship as a Virtual Assistant? Absolutely! Virtual Assistants that have Executive Assistant experience have experienced the in’s and out’s of an Executive’s office and also understand the challenges and demands of growing a business. For just those two reasons an Executive Virtual Assistant offers specialties that other assistants do not. Executive Virtual Assistants are seasoned professionals that offer a myriad of support services such as time management, calendar management, personal assistance, and a sounding board for ideas. We communicate with the utmost confidentiality and offer expertise in researching the competition. Just imagine having an extra right (or left) hand. Any executive that does not take advantage of the expertise provided by these fellow entrepreneurs is missing out on an opportunity to grow as an individual and grow their business.
del.icio.us Tags: CEOs CEO’s Virtual Assistant Executive Assistant Entrepreneurial Virtual Assistant
9:11 AM GMT | Read comments(0)
March 22
How to Task a Task List
Any administrative support partner needs an ongoing “todo” list (aka. Task List). Administrative experts were many hats and usually do the work of at least two people. We are masters of our craft. In order to be master assistants we must be highly organized and miracle workers. There are many tools that we use to keep our boss and ourselves sane. My most valuable tool is my “Task List”.
Categorizing
I use Excel as the program of choice for my list organization. I keep the spreadsheet open all day and add to it throughout the day. It has several columns each designated for priority level, task/project detail, who initiated task, assignment date, task due date, task completion date, and any notes that help me stay informed of my progress, questions I may have, or follow up requirements. I assign a priority level to each task/project ranging from 1 to 3, with 1 being the highest level. A level 1 is written in red text and has a deadline within 24 hours. The red text gets bolded as well so that it jumps out at me each day. A priority level of 2 has a deadline of 48 to 72 hours, and a level 3 is anything with a deadline more than 72 hours. Keep in mind that these hours are during Monday through Friday. If it is Friday and the deadline is the next Monday then at the end of the day on Friday the task becomes a level 1 so that I’m ready for Monday morning.
Completion
I highlight the open tasks in yellow and un-highlight the tasks when they are completed. On any level 1 task I also remove the red text. After the task is completed and un-lighted I hide the row. By hiding the row only the open tasks are displayed and a record is kept in the case that I need to refer back and determine when a particular task was completed.
Why Not Outlook
I do not use the Outlook task manager because it is bothersome to keep track of all those reminders popping up. It never failed, every time I was concentrating on completing a task a reminder window would pop up and interrupt what I was doing. That interruption would cause me to lose concentration and then it would be 20 minutes or more to get back on task. The Excel spreadsheet method allows me total control of my progress with no annoying popups.
This is my method in a nutshell. What’s your method?
8:52 AM GMT | Read comments(0)
March 12
How to Stay 2 Steps Ahead of Your Client
As executive virtual assistants it is necessary to look ahead of our clients. Of course there is an initial time of getting to know one another and the working style of each other. Immediately we should look outside the box for other opportunities to keep our clients ahead of themselves. Our clients hired us for many reasons, one of which is allowing them more time to grow their business. Every second that we can save them will only strengthen our relationship and show our clients that we care about their business.
Each virtual assistant has their own way of doing things, but it’s those few extra steps that denote the experts apart from the novices. For example, if one of your tasks is to check the client’s voicemail, then you should be armed with all the tools you need to deliver accurate and complete messages to the client. Some virtual assistants may be contracted to only check voicemail and send an email listing the message details. However, if a virtual assistant retrieves a voicemail that simply requests general information such as a client’s fax number, email address, mailing address, or website address, why not return the call for the client and provide the customer with that appropriate information (and subsequently notify your client of doing such). By taking the one extra step you strengthen the relationship between you and your client and may even find another client along the way.
A current client of mine has a calendar that changes by the minute. If he is traveling then I look ahead to his return date and remind him of appointments that are rapidly approaching. This reminder has been as simple as sending a quick text message, and at other times it requires a phone call to the client. I also call ahead to confirm business meetings. I ensure that all parties are still available and that they have all necessary information for the meeting such as location, duration, and reason for the meeting. Some virtual assistants are tasked with only adding items to their client’s calendars. If this is the case, try suggesting appointment follow ups as an added benefit.
Put yourself in your client’s shoes. What would happen if you missed an appointment or important phone call? Limiting surprises and keeping our clients informed keeps our clients ahead of the game which keeps us ahead of them and the competition. Happy clients talk about their virtual assistants. This comes in handy when you’re courting a prospect. Ask that happy client for a testimonial. Nine times out of ten they will be pleased to provide one.
6:46 AM GMT | Read comments(0)
March 09
No Pajamas Please
We’ve all read the ads…”Make Money Working in Your Pajamas”. Can you really work in your pajamas? I’m sure there are some home office entrepreneurs who work in their pajamas, but I believe there are more of us that do not. I decided to put it to the test myself.
For one month I tried working in my pajamas. For the next month I worked in what I call my “working clothes”. My working clothes consist of what professional casual dress is today. I don’t mean a suit of any sorts. I’m referring to dress slacks, a blouse, and simple shoes (no hills here). I did not include any accessories such as belts or jewelry since those items can be added in minutes. Each month I kept a daily diary of how productive I was during the experiment.
The first thing I notice was the difference between start times during the week. When I wore pajamas I didn’t start working until about 9:00 a.m. and then I was behind when it came time to begin assignments for the day. This process seemed to continue off and on throughout the day. When I dressed in my working clothes I began work earlier by more than an hour. This extra time allowed me to have all emails ready and follow up tasks scheduled. I was able to get updated on the most recent LinkedIn and Twitter posts and ready to begin my first assignment by 8:00 a.m.
One other issue that drove me crazy was that I had a harder time staying focused when I was in my pajamas. The working clothes put me in the working frame of mind while the pajamas put me in the relaxing frame of mind. I found that I had a tendency to divert from the task at hand. While dressed in pajamas my mind would wonder about things that had no bearing on my business. My working clothes kept me “working” on business.
Both of these issues caused an enormous loss of time. Time is something that all business owners need more of. In my opinion the loss of time is worse than never having the time to begin with. A loss of time that is the result of clothing is ridiculous and unacceptable. I challenge you to do the same experiment and see how the results affect your business and bottom line. Get up. Get dressed for business. And don’t waste time. Do what is right for your business, especially when no one is watching.
2:18 PM GMT | Read comments(0)